How TV Affects Your Child

Television may seem like a good thing: preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt about it - TV can be a great educator and entertainer. But despite its advantages, too much television can be detrimental:

• Research has shown that children who consistently spend more than 10 hours per week watching TV are more likely to be overweight, aggressive, and slower to learn in school.
• Children who view violent episodes, such as a kidnapping or murder, on the news are also more likely to believe that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.
• Research also indicates that TV consistently reinforces gender-role and racial stereotypes.

Most children plug into the world of TV long before they enter school: 70% of child care centers use TV during a typical day. In a year, the average child spends 900 hours in school and nearly 1,500 hours in front of a TV.

Children should watch no more than 1 or 2 hours a day, according to guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). As a parent, you should monitor the content of the TV programming and set viewing limits to ensure your child doesn't spend time watching TV that should be spent on other activities, such as playing with friends, exercising, and reading.

Violence
TV violence sometimes begs for imitation because violence is demonstrated and promoted as a fun and effective way to get what you want. Many violent acts are perpetrated by the "good guys," whom children have been taught to emulate. Adding to the lure of imitation is TV's freedom from restraint. Children are taught by their parents that it's not right to hit, but television says it's OK to bite, hit, or kick if you're the good guy. And even the "bad guys" on TV are rarely held responsible or punished for their actions.

The images children absorb also can leave them traumatized and vulnerable. According to a recent study, children ages 2 to 7 are particularly frightened by fantastic, scary-looking things like grotesque monsters. Simply telling children that those images aren't real won't console them because they can't yet distinguish between fantasy and reality.

Children ages 8 to 12 are frightened by the threat of violence, natural disasters, and the victimization of children, whether those images appear in fiction or on the news or reality-based shows. Reasoning with children this age will help them, so you should provide reassuring and honest information to help ease your child's fears.

Obesity
According to the AAP, there is a link between excessive TV watching and obesity - a significant health problem today. Children are inactive and tend to snack while watching TV, and they are bombarded with advertising messages that encourage them to eat unhealthy foods, such as potato chips and cookies, that often become preferred snack foods.

Too much educational TV has the same indirect effect on children's health. Even if children are watching 4 hours of SESAME STREET, they're not exercising, reading, socializing, or spending time outside.

Children's advocates are divided when it comes to solutions. Although many children's advocates urge for more hours per week of educational programming, others assert that no TV is the best solution. And some say it's better for parents to control the use of TV and to teach children that TV is for occasional entertainment, not for constant escapism.

What You Can Do
It's important to talk to your child about what's seen on TV and share your own beliefs and values. If something objectionable appears on the screen, you can ask your child, "Do you think it was OK when they hit that guy? What else could they have done? What would you have done?"

You can limit the number of hours your child spends watching TV by moving the set from the most prominent room in the house to a side room and by keeping TVs out of bedrooms and turned off during meals. TV could also be treated as a privilege that your child needs to earn, not a right to which he's entitled.

You should also check the TV listings ahead of time for programs that your family can watch together - developmentally appropriate and nonviolent programs that reinforce family values, appropriate language, and social skills. Try watching TV only when there's a specific program you want to watch instead of channel surfing until something gets your interest. As a parent, you should set a good example by limiting your own television viewing.

The V-chip (V is for "violence") is designed to enable you to block television programs and movies you don't want your child to see. All new TV sets now have internal V-chips, but set-top boxes are available for TVs made before 2000.

An age-group rating system modeled after the familiar movie rating system has been developed for TV programs. For many, this may be a valuable guide. There's concern that this new rating system may be worse than no system at all: research shows that preteen and teen boys are more likely to want to see a movie if it's rated R than if it's rated PG. The rating system also does not satisfy some family advocates who complain that they fail to give enough information about a program's content to allow parents to make informed decisions about whether a show is appropriate for their child.

The Federal Communications Commission requires that V-chips in new TVs recognize the TV Parental Guidelines and the age-group rating system and block those programs that do not adhere to these standards. Broadcast news, sports, and commercials - which aren't rated - were not addressed, though they often present depictions of violence. So even if your TV has the V-chip, it's important to preview shows to determine whether they're appropriate for your child.